The natural oil your skin is producing helps lubricate, but it also helps to heal, protect and moisturize your skin so that it can function properly and keep you looking beautiful.

The key thing is to learn to work with your skin not against it, it’s like trying to drive a car that is bogged in a ditch, in the rain, with a flat tire – don’t keep revving the engine!

First off… What is oil cleansing?

Although this idea seems actually quite crazy, the concept of using natural oils to help cleanse the skin is one of the most gentle ways to make sure your face is getting the care it needs and also the cleansing to go with that.

The idea behind oil cleansing is to use natural oils in specific combination to cleanse the skin and naturally balance the skin’s natural oils, thus making your skin more nourished and moisturized.

We don’t stay young forever, so the younger you start to address your beauty needs the better.

The idea is that the oil that is being massaged into your skin actually dissolves the oil that was hardened with impurities that has found itself stuck in your pores.

The simple fact is oil dissolves oil, one of the basic principals of chemistry is that “like dissolves like” (about the only thing I learnt from Science).

So what I’m saying is the best way to dissolve a non-polar solvent (sebum/oil), is by using another non-polar solvent similar in composition, bring in the oil!!

With this method you can not only cleanse your pores of dirt and bacteria, naturally, gently but also effectively, while also replacing the dirty oils with beneficial oils extracted from natural botanicals such as vegetables and fruit.

Now before you go and drown yourself in that olive oil you have sitting in the kitchen, there is a method to this, so please read on.

It does need to be done properly and also consistently, this type of cleaning method can clear the skin from issues such as oily skin (no I’m not messing with your mind), dry sensitive skin, blackheads, whiteheads and other problems caused by mild to moderate acne – while leaving your skin healthy, balanced and properly moisturized.

Now don’t expect your skin to be amazing from the get go when trying this method there is a thing called an adjustment period that your skin goes through.

It varies for everyone, so don’t quote me on this one. Everyone’s skin adjusts differently and reacts differently. This is purely just a detox reaction as impurities are pulled from the skin.

The improvement will be gradual and definitely worth the wait.

Now onto what you need to do, all you will need are a couple of natural oils and a clean wash cloth!

The most commonly uses oils are castor oil and olive oil, though other natural oils may be used as well.

Castor Oil is naturally astringent, so it helps pull impurities from the skin, making it ideal for oily or combination skin (and even dry skin in lesser amounts). Castor oil should never be used undiluted on the skin.

If your skin feels too dry, you’ll need to use less castor oil and replace it with more sunflower seed oil.

Keep in mind that castor oil is the thing drawing, cleansing, and purging oil for your pores. It’s okay if you find you only need a very small percentage of castor oil in your blend.

The sunflower seed oil is to dilute the castor oil in viscosity (thickness) and additionally provide moisture, nutrients, and other benefits.

If you are new to oil cleansing, it may take a couple of tries to figure out what blend of oils works best for you. I’ve seen mixes that use a mix of 3/4 olive oil and 1/4 castor or hazelnut oil.

I’ve also found that even pure coconut oil works great once skin has adjusted, though it can be drying on some skin types.

When it comes to storage of your prepared mixtures use a flip-top bottle for convenience, you can get them pretty cheap on eBay. When you want to replenish the oil blend be sure to clean the bottle out thoroughly with dish soap or other cleaner. Or if you have a lot lying around replace the bottle if you can. You want to be extremely cautious and avoid bacteria when it comes to your products, this includes water in the bottles.

Now we are ready to wash

When to do it

First and foremost, this is typically done in the evening, prior to bed.

There should be no need for deep cleansing in the morning if you’re waking up with skin cleansed the night before. This is one to remember as you don’t want to over cleanse your skin as this will serve only to irritate and cause more oil production.

Where to do it

You can do this in the shower or alternatively in the bathroom sink if you like. Before you wet the skin on your face, and your hands. Pour about a quarter size amount of the oil blend into your hand and massage into the skin on your face.

How to do it

Use smooth circular strokes and let this also be a gentle facial massage. Massage for at least a minute (two minutes is better) or until you are sure that the oil has saturated your skin.

This will also remove make-up very effectively, so there is no need to remove make-up first. You can even leave the oil on the skin for up to 10 minutes to really deep clean pores.

Now place a clean washcloth under a very hot tap, but not scalding hot, got to protect your face still. Wring it out. Open the towel and place it over your face to create steam against the skin that will help to remove oils and impurities in the skin.

Repeat if needed with the other side of the washcloth. Once this is all done use the corners of the washcloth to gently remove any remaining oil.

There might still be a thin layer of oil on your skin, but this is beneficial to it.

Usually you won’t have to apply any moisturizer after this, but if you have dry skin, try reducing the amount of astringent oil and using a tiny bit of homemade lotion to moisturize skin.

Now just remember….

It is normal to have that initial adjustment period to this method of cleansing, normally about a week or it could possibly be more.

You may find your skin is more oily during this time or notice more break outs, but don’t freak out!

It is just the impurities leaving the skin, it’s those nasties leaving your body for hopefully the last time.

Resist the urge to dive for the harsh soaps or facial cleansers that will set you back where you were and it will make the adjustment period take even longer.

Experiment with the different oils to find your perfect ratio. If you find one oil doesn’t work for your cleansing, you can always find another use for it in your skin care regime. But the key takeaway from this article is – don’t be afraid to give oil cleaning a go!